The importance of branded packaging in a company’s success cannot be understated. In its essence, the primary role of packaging is to protect and maintain the condition of the product during its transportation to the customer. However, this day in age, packaging can do so much more. Yes, it keeps its contents safe, but it also gives a fantastic opportunity for marketing, increasing brand awareness, and ultimately improving your company’s sales figures.
According to Ipsos, 72% of Americans agree that the design of a product’s packaging heavily influences their decisions on what product they will purchase. The same study found that 67% of Americans are similarly affected by the materials used to package a product. The point is that any business that isn’t putting enough focus into its branded packaging is in danger of falling behind to its competitors, as it is simply too big of an opportunity to neglect.
In this article, we will look at some of the ways branded packaging can boost your sales and improve your company’s bottom line. Let’s get into it.
Packaging Can Foster Your Brand Identity
Developing a strong brand identity is essential if your business is to thrive in today’s marketplace. In a nutshell, your brand identity is a collection of all the elements that your company uses to portray its message to consumers, such as your logo, coloring, and packaging.
Think about what statement you want your brand to send to the world with your products. How do you want your potential customers to perceive your company?
Your packaging gives you an excellent opportunity to deliver this message and establish your company in the marketplace. If you have a unique selling point or a competitive advantage over your rivals, here is the place to use.
When your company has a strong identity, it’s much easier for customers to establish trust with the brand as it becomes more recognizable. Eventually, as this trust builds, the likelihood for that customer to make a purchase increases dramatically.
For example, if a customer is presented with two options in a store, one brand they are familiar with, and the other is unknown to them, chances are they are going to go with the product they recognize.
Brand Packaging Can Help Play To Common Interests
The whole reason why companies carefully foster their brand image is to create a common interest with their customer base. Branding’s primary purpose is to develop a mutual understanding between the company and the consumer through shared values and common interests.
Carefully choosing the right packaging to suit your brand image is crucial. Let’s take a veganic cannabis company as an example. If their brand image is all about sustainability, veganism, and conscious consuming then the packaging must reflect this. If the company’s products were heavily packaged in non-recyclable plastic, then this may alienate them from some of their customers as it goes against their company values. This will undoubtedly hurt their bottom line.
Conversely, if the same company used this opportunity to create custom cannabis packaging that is 100% biodegradable and environmentally friendly, it would build a deeper level of trust with its customer base and may even entice new consumers looking for an eco-friendly option.
Another example of this would be Apple and their packaging strategy. Every single Apple product arrives in sleek packaging that denotes the same message that the brand attempts to portray – high quality and simplicity.
Now imagine if the same product came in a cheap and flimsy cardboard container that was littered full of obnoxious and outlandish decorations. Apple would almost certainly start to lose some of its loyal customer base overnight.
Distinguish Yourself From Your Competitors
One thing that is hugely underestimated about branded packaging is its power to distinguish your company from the competition. If your rivals are using low quality and unoriginal packaging, this creates a huge opportunity to set yourself apart from the crowd.
The more creative you can get with the packaging, the better. The main goal is to enhance the user experience, so they insinuate your brand with positive emotions. The more value you deliver, the more likely you will be to win their repeat purchase. Here are a few ideas you can use to distinguish yourself with your packaging:
- Add personalized messages with their name on
- Use innovative and clever designs
- Inject personality or humor
- Make it original and memorable
Branded Packaging Variations For Different Models
Employing variations in your packaging, such as using different colors and materials, can be useful for denoting various models of a product within one brand. This can help make the buying process easier for a customer, especially if the product is sold in places like a supermarket. The simpler you can make the decision process for the customer, the better.
In addition to this, the use of color is a powerful tool in packaging design as it can help to invoke emotions that influence the consumer’s purchasing impulses. Here are an example of some color meanings when it comes to marketing and consumer behavior psychology:
- Red: excitement, boldness
- Blue: Strength, calmness, trustworthiness
- Green: nature, sustainability, health
- Yellow: optimism, happiness, warmth
Choosing the right colors for your marketing campaign can be the difference between your brand standing out from the crowd, or blending into it.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, branded packaging is about marketing. The way you choose to package your products will play a massive role in how your customers perceive your company and the message you are trying to deliver. If you do it well, your company will develop strong brand recognition over time, which will help boost sales.
The one thing you must remember is to keep your brand image cohesive across all of your company’s fronts so you can carefully nurture your brand image and develop a level of trust and mutual understanding between your company and its customers.
